Italy beats China in five sets on first day of Grand Prix final round

Italy vs China (Photo credit: Sportsphoto)Photo Gallery>>(BEIJING, July 9) -- World No. 2 Italy overcame China 22-25, 29-27, 20-25, 25-20, 15-9 on the first day of the final round of the FIVB Grand Prix in Yokohama, Japan on July 9.

China started the match well, using strong blocks and consistent play to take the first set without much difficulty. The second set was a battle of the highest level, with China taking the lead at the first technical time-out (TTO) then falling behind by two points at the second TTO. China failed to clinch with the score at 24-23 and the set teetered through five set-points until Italy finally broke through to win 29-27.

China regained its form to calmly take the third set 25-20, despite good defense from Italy. The fourth set was close through the second TTO, but a time out from Italian head coach Massimo Barbolini with his team down 18-19 proved timely -- the Italians went on a 7-1 run to force a fifth set.

In the tiebreak, Italy was helped by serving errors and loose play on the Chinese side. The Italians took a 13-8 lead after China was penalized for a slow substitution and closed out the match with two points from Francesca Piccinini.

China will meet Cuba on the second day of the final round, while Italy will face top-ranked Brazil in a battle of heavyweights. The 2008 FIVB Grand Prix concludes on Sunday, July 13.